


Take Care

by honorableotp



Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: 80s, F/M, Gen, Parents, Throwback
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-11-10
Updated: 2018-11-10
Packaged: 2019-08-21 08:49:08
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,050
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16573430
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/honorableotp/pseuds/honorableotp
Summary: Before there was Stiles, Scott, Lydia, and Derek, there was a different core four. And certainly a safer one.(Yes, I know that's not the ACTUAL core four of Teen Wolf, but it's MY core four)~“The four of us, we have to take care of each other. We’re destiny.”





	Take Care

**Author's Note:**

> I don't own or claim to own Teen Wolf or anything affiliated with it.

The first half of their lives, they had been the lucky ones. The death that ran through Beacon Hills never really touched the four of them. 

Noah, Melissa, Claudia, and Rafael. 

They float in and out of each other’s lives for four years, but somehow it always ended up like this; in someone’s kitchen, the radio playing low and a deck of cards and two bottles of something. 

They always needed two bottles if Raf was around. 

It’s Claudia’s doing; junior and senior year they almost lose each other, but she insists that for their birthdays they reunite. And holiday breaks. If they’re at the same party, they end up in the same room, talking and laughing. 

“The four of us, we have to take care of eachother. We’re destiny.” And Noah would lean down and kiss her and Rafael would gag and Melissa would roll her eyes. 

“Destiny,” Rafael would sometimes say. “Is bullshit.” And if he did, Melissa would always come back. 

“Everything is bullshit, my love,” (She always called him that, even though they weren’t together until long after), “might as well believe in the good of it all.” 

Noah was always the first one to turn up the music; he loved to dance back then. 

 

In 1988 Claudia goes to school to become a counselor, Noah and Rafael enter the police academy together. Melissa was all set to become an English major- a teacher. 

But then her dad dies because some  _ incompetent  _ nurse reads his stats wrong and she takes off without a word. 

Rafael is devastated.

He showed up at Claudia’s dorm (because of  _ course _ she’s the first one moved in) in tears. She calls Noah and he brings two bottles of tequila and a deck of cards. 

 

Claudia was the only one who heard from Melissa for months. Rafael clung  to her for scraps of news from her, but she always said the same thing. 

“Give her time.”

It takes four years for her to come home. Rafael splits a little bit from the group, focuses on his career. 

 

Claudia and Noah get married in December of April of 1993. Their first dance is amazing; Noah surprises the whole room. It is beautiful and well-planned. They had talked about their future plans two years before. It was never a question for either of them. Melissa is the maid of honor, Rafael the best man; it’s destiny. 

But they’re young, and unlike their friends, stupid. 

Melissa applies to nursing school to finish her bachelor’s; she had done the first half while she had been away. She could technically be done; she could stick with her associate’s, but she wanted to do this right. She wanted to be competent. 

 

A year after the wedding, Mieczysław is born. He is planned, of course. And they all call him Stiles; Noah could barely even pronounce that name. They’re not making enough for a baby, but their parents want to help them because they want a grandchild  _ so  _ bad and they’re not going to be around for so much longer and who are Claudia and Noah to say no to that? 

Three months later. Melissa has two and a half semesters left, Rafael is quickly rising through the ranks. They’re on fire. They’re young. They’re happy. They’re going to save the world, they’re going to help people. Nothing can touch them. Absolutely noth-

“Fuck!” Melissa sits in the Stilinski’s bathroom. Stiles stirs in the nursery as Claudia rushes in.

“What’s wrong?” She knows as soon as she opens the door, though. She cocks her head to the side sympathetically “Oh, Mel.” 

“God! I can’t believe I- I thought I was missing because of stress. Fuck me. What am I going to do?”   
“Whatever it is, I’m right by your side. We take care of one another.” Claudia says, enveloping her friend in a hug. 

“It doesn’t matter. I’m three months along, I can’t do anything anymore.” Claudia rubs her back. 

“That’s not true. Plenty of people need babies.” 

 

Melissa makes the appointment. Claudia drives. They don’t tell anyone. 

In the pastel waiting room, hopeful parents and a few pregnant women around them, Melissa reaches for her friend’s hand. 

“What’s it like?” Claudia knows what she’s talking about.

“It’s the greatest thing I have ever and will ever do, Mel.” She doesn’t respond for a few minutes. 

“Six months apart. Our kids could grow up together. Just like we did.” Claudia smiles. 

“Yeah. They could.” 

“Do you think we could do it?” Claudia smiles at her friend, hope in her eyes.    
“I think it’s destiny.” 

 

Rafael smashes a plate against the wall of their apartment when she tells him over their microwave dinners.

“How could you be so stupid!?” He screams, running his hair through his hair. 

“Hey, I don’t know if you took health class, but it takes two people to make a baby!” 

“You’re the one who forgot  your fucking pills! You’re the one who let it get this far along!” She feels tears streaming down her face. When she speaks, it is quiet and shaky.

“I’m not asking you for anything. I’m telling you I’m pregnant and I’m keeping it. With or without you. Leave if that’s what you want, Raf.” She doesn’t look up. There’s almost a full five minutes of pacing, of muttering. 

But then she hears the door open and close.

It doesn’t open again for two more days.

When it finally does, she is in the kitchen filling a purple mug with decaf tea. The sound startles her so much, she drops it, causing it to shatters into pieces at her feet. 

“Careful, don’t cut yourself!” She ignores his warning and surges forward to kiss him deeply. When they pull apart, he brings a stuffed wolf out from behind his back. She laughs tearfully, hugging it. 

“For the baby. I’m sorry, Melissa.”

“You’re sure?”    
“Yes.”   
“You have to be sure, Rafael. I don’t want to prepare myself for a life with you just to have it ripped away.”    
“I’m more sure about this than I’ve ever been about anything.” Melissa looks down at the plushie in her hands, and then back up at the man she loves.   
“Just don’t leave ever again, okay?” He digs his fingers into her hair and kisses her forehead.

“I promise.” 

A month after that, they are married. 

 

Seven years later. Scott and Stiles are attached at the hip. Noah and Rafael are both thriving in the force. Claudia and Melissa also hold steady jobs. Life has been stable for years, and it’s nice. Claudia and Melissa are on the latter’s porch swing, drinking rosé and watching Scott and Stiles catch fireflies. Well, they watch Scott catch fireflies. Stiles is too loud and too impulsive to actually catch any. 

“You know, there aren’t supposed to be fireflies here in California.” Melissa notes quietly.

“I think this place has always defied laws.” The opposite hums in response. There is quiet, and they watch as Scott softly handles a firefly and passes it to Stiles.

“Have you ever heard of regression to the mean?”

“No. Enlighten me, oh wise one.” Claudia doesn’t laugh like she usually does.

“No matter how good things get, or how bad, it’s always going to go back to the middle.”   
“That’s kind of a sad concept.”   
“Depends how you look at it.” Claudia takes a sip of her wine.   
“Knowing you, you think the scales are going to tip to good.”   
“It sounds like you’d agree.”

“What can I say, Claud?” The boys hop on their bikes and ride in circles in the street. “You’ve made me a more hopeful person.” Claudia laughs weakly. 

“I’m glad. Hold onto that. Always. Okay?”    
“Of course.” Claudia squeezes the other woman’s ankle, which is up on the swing. 

“Promise me.”   
“Jeez, I promise.” Claudia stares at her, tears welling in her eyes. “Claudia, are you okay? What’s wrong.” Claudia laughs, and this time it’s real. 

“Nothing. I love just love you, is all. I love all of you so much.” Melissa laughs nervously.    
“Yeah, I love you too. Are you sure you’re okay?” She swallows dryly and looks towards the street. 

“Yeah, of course.” 

A year later, Claudia is dead. Two weeks after the funeral, Melissa and Rafael show up on the Stilinski’s doorstep with two bottles of rum. Scott was already there; Stiles had wanted him around more often since; they were sound asleep in Scott’s room. 

They play the music softly and they play cards, but it’s not the same. Things will never be the same again. 

 

Six months after that, Raphael hurts their son. Hurts  _ her  _ son. She tells him he needs to leave. Three days after that, she realises he’s not coming back. She shows up at Noah’s house right after the boys’ bus takes them to school with a bottle of vodka in her purse. He opens the door, sees her without makeup and red eyes and steps aside. 

“I’ll call in sick.”

They play the music softly and they play a game of cards, and she wins. Then she breaks down; tells him everything. She can see the anger in his face, in the way he bends one of the cards in between two of his fingers.

“What the fuck am I going to do, Noah?” She asks. He sighs, spinning his wedding ring on his finger. 

“Claudia would know what to say.” Mel smiles weakly. 

“Claudia would hunt him down and kick his ass.”   
“I could do that, if that’s what you want.” She shakes her head. 

“No. No, if he doesn’t want to be Scott’s dad, there’s nothing we can do about that.” Noah shakes his head.    
“He’s an asshole.” Melissa smiles at the way he sums everything up in a sentence; that had always been him. She wipes a tear away. 

“We never should have gotten married. God, we were so stupid, Noah.” She adjusts the watch on her wrist. He shakes his head. 

“You were scared. You thought you could make it. And you know what.  _ You  _ will make it. He’s the one who couldn’t handle it. That’s not your fault.”

“I should’ve…” She trails off; there’s so many things she would change. 

“Look. I don’t know everything. But I do know in every argument, in every apprehension, you asked if this is what he really wanted, if he wanted a divorce, if he wanted to keep trying. He said yes. He always told you he wanted it. He’s a liar.” Melissa sighs. 

“I don’t think so, Noah. I just don’t think he knows himself.” 

“He’s just his old man now.” Melissa flinches, hoping Scott doesn’t follow in his grandfather and father’s footsteps. Noah deals out for another round. 

“You know what she’d say?” He is quiet for a few moments, and she thinks he won’t answer. But then, he does, placing a card faceup; a jack. 

“She’d tell us to take care of each other. Teach the boys to do the same.” Melissa nods, letting a few more tears fall. She rubs a finger against the corner of her own card before placing it down; a king.

“You and me, we’ll be okay. We’re in this one together. The boys will be okay, too.” Noah nods, and she sees something akin to hope in his face. 

 

Across town in their first grade classroom, Scott and Stiles sit in the corner, cross legged and staring at each other. 

“She’s so pretty.” Stiles says, wondering at the girl with strawberry blonde hair who is reading a book across the room. “She builds the best towers, too. And she’s really smart, I th-”

“I don’t think my dad is coming home.”  Scott cuts him off.

“Is he okay?” Stiles is such a worrier now. 

“I don’t know. I heard my mom on the phone last night. He’s not answering.” Stiles is so angry his face turns red. 

“He’s a doodoo head.” Scott doesn’t answer, and Stiles had probably said the wrong thing. He does that a lot. He looks down, and sees his friend crying. Without thinking, he wraps his arms around the other boy. “I’ll take care of you. We both have one grown up now. We’re in this together, okay?” Scott nods.    
“Yeah. We’ll take care of eachother.”

**Author's Note:**

> Okayyy so I started Teen Wolf and like?? i love it! i'm so surprised it's so good seeing as MTV produced it. It's lowkey embarrasing how easily I attach myself to minor characters but here's my first ever Teen Wolf fic! Let me know what you thought!  
> My socials are @forbesaken


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